The Renaissance began in Florence, Italy, and from there it swept across Europe. This necklace draws direct inspiration from jewels found in Florentine portraits created during that golden era. A royal blue sodalite bead drops from a 24-karat-gold-vermeil chain, cast using the lost-wax method. Jade beads add even more muted elegance.

The Tuscan city of Florence is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, attracting millions of tourists each year with its top notch art and architecture. World-renowned as the birthplace of the Renaissance, home to Brunelleschi’s dome, Giotto’s Campanile, and the Uffizi Gallery, founded by members of the Medici dynasty.

When the Arno River flooded in 1966, many art treasures were damaged. National Geographic sent researchers, journalists, and photographers to document the damage and the remarkable clean-up and restoration efforts. “Firenza bella. Beautiful Florence, the mother country of Western man,” wrote Joseph Judge in the July 1967 issue. “It is fair to say that much of what we know today of painting and sculpture, or architecture and political science, of scientific method and economic theory, we owe to the artists, politicians, statesmen, bankers, and merchants of the Renaissancethat explosion of intellectual and artistic energy in Italy between 1300 and 1600. And Florentines stood at the turbulent center of the Renaissance.”